Mission Bridge Rehabilitation Update

Starting Monday, May 12, Mission Bridge will reopen to two-way single-lane vehicle traffic.  Two lanes on the west side of Mission Bridge will reopen—restoring two-way traffic across the bridge.  One lane will be open for northbound vehicles and one for southbound vehicles.  

One lane on the east side will remain closed while rehabilitation work continues. Pedestrian and wheeling access to and over Mission Bridge will be maintained.  

Access to the Elbow River Pathway along 26 Avenue will be closed from 4 Street to 2 Street for approximately 6 more weeks.  When using the Pathway, be sure to follow posted signage.  

The Mission Bridge Rehabilitation Project updates and progress can be found at the City of Calgary website.  

2025-2026 School Bus Transportation Registration 

An email message was sent out this morning from central messaging regarding the changes to school bus transportation for next school year.  Mainly, the walking zone and transportation zone boundaries for our school will be changing.   

For all students who are eligible for yellow school bus transportation, their parents/guardians will receive a follow-up email tomorrow with details on registration and proposed fees for 2025-2026. 

School bus transportation registration will begin on Thursday, May 8 and will close on Sunday, June 8.  It is important to note that school bus stops are calculated from the transportation registrations received by June 8; and your child will have access to ride the school bus starting from the very first day of school when transportation registrations are received on or before the closing date.  There may be delays of service if a registration is submitted after the closing date.  

Spring Plants and Planters Fundraiser – Today is Last Day for orders 

Thanks to the support of our Rideau Park parent & guardian community, we have surpassed our 200-plant goal by 30 plants at the time of newsletter publication! The ordering portal is open until 11:59 pm this evening. Delivery date is May 22, just in time for gardening season. 

All profits from this fundraiser go toward supporting our students and school programs.  Thank you so very much for your support with this fundraiser.   

• Place your order 

School Council’s Schoolyard Spruce Up, May 29, 4:00 – 6:00 pm 

Our School Council is looking for volunteers for the annual School Yard Spruce Up.  Some of the tasks for the spring clean are gardening (tidying the garden beds, pruning some of the trees & bushes, raking the topsoil, etc) and general clean up (sweeping gravel from walkways & sport court, etc).   

• Sign up to help out at the annual School Yard Spruce Up, May 29, 4:00 – 6:00 pm.  

Provincial Achievement Test Schedule 

All Grade 6 and 9 students in Alberta will write Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT) in May and June.  Please review the PAT schedule below. If there is a conflict with any of the dates and/or times below, contact Ms Cochrane to make arrangements to write at a later date and/or time.   

Volunteer Opportunity

We will require several parents to provide student assistance as test readers and scribes for the May 28 Grade 6 PAT and the May 29 Grade 9 PAT. Please contact Ms Cochrane if you are available to volunteer to assist a student on these dates and times.  

Math 15 Summer School Course 

Grade 9 students transitioning to high school can take Math 15 as a summer school course.  Math 15 is intended to build solid foundation of grade 9 math concepts and skills in preparation of enrolling in Math 10-C during the school year.  Students interested in taking Math 15 as a summer course should contact Mr Yackulic by May 8 (tomorrow).  

Gym Strip and Spirit Wear 

The online ordering window for Rideau Gym Strip and Spirit Wear via Top Marks is May 9 - 23, 2025 for fall purchases.  

• Website link: Top Marks  
  Password: RID01  

Some sample fit sizes will be on display outside of the office May 5 - 22. Please measure your child and review the sizing chart available on the Top Marks website. Top Marks will not accept returns for mis-sizing. 

Online orders from May will arrive at the school for distribution to students in September 2025.  

All students in Grades 7 to 9 are required to change into a gym strip for PE classes.  We suggest the following for a Junior High gym strip: 

• Rideau Park T-shirt (required) 
• Rideau Park shorts or jogging pants (required) 
• Rideau Park hoodie (recommended) 

Top Marks offers sizing for younger elementary students, too. Rideau clothing is a great way to show school spirit, especially on Spirit Days.  

From Rideau Park School Council / Parent Society 

Rideau Park Families, 

We need YOU to support our school and continue all of the amazing initiatives that enrich our Rideau Park students’ experience! We have several vacancies on school council/parent society for the 2025-2026 school year which will need to be filled. 

Read more at the School Council and Parent Society pages.  

Healthy Hunger eGift Card 

The Healthy Hunger ‘fun lunches’ are fundraiser for the Rideau Park Parents’ Association.  There is an additional fundraising opportunity at the Healthy Hunger website with ordering eGift Cards. Click on the icons on the ordering page to purchase an eGift card.   

Parent Volunteer Opportunities 

If you are available to volunteer to assist with the trips and / or events below, please contact your child’s teacher or as indicated below.  The Annual Volunteer Registration with a valid Police Information Check is required: 

• Grade 3 – 4: Calgary Farmyard, May 21: contact your child’s teacher 
• Grade 7: Shepard Landfill Tour, May 27 & 28: contact your child’s homeroom teacher 
• Grade 6 & 9: Exam Scribe &/or Reader for upcoming Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT), May 28 & 29 
• School Council’s Schoolyard Spruce Up, May 29:  Sign Up 
• Grade 6 – 9: Track & Field Meet, May 30: contact Mr Pocock 
• Fun Lunch, every second Thursday starting 11:00 am – see below  

Leftover Fun Lunch Orders 

Each Fun Lunch Day, there are many Fun Lunch orders that are not picked up after delivery dates. Most of these are not ever picked up and end up being tossed out at the start of the next week.  

Parents/guardians can cancel Fun Lunch orders via the Health Hunger website up to 5 days in 

advance of any order date. The office will be using the following process until June, and will work with the RPPA parent coordinator for fun lunch to decide if it will continue for next school year: 

• For the Fun Lunches left behind after spring break, please call the office to arrange for the fun lunch to be picked up (ie parent, sibling or alternate pick up). 
• Unclaimed lunches (ie not picked up or student absences) will be offered to a student in need of lunch on order dates 

Fun Lunch, Healthy Hunger on Behalf of RPS’ Parent Society 

The Rideau Park Parent Association is again coordinating a bi-monthly ‘Fun Lunch’ with Healthy Hunger.  This is also a great fundraiser for the school with a portion of sales being returned to the school.  Participation is completely voluntary with a variety of healthy lunch vendors to choose from.   

Parent Volunteer Opportunity

for each fun lunch Thursday, parent volunteers are needed to help sort orders and deliver to classrooms.  Time commitment is about an hour, with the start time at 11:00 am.  If available to help on one or some Thursdays, you must complete the annual volunteer registration, which includes a valid Police Information Clearance. 

Volunteers and number of volunteers are needed for: 

• May 8 – 1 volunteer 
• May 22 – 2 volunteers 
• June 5 – 2 volunteers 
• June 19 – 3 volunteers 

Sign Up to volunteer for the above dates and/or future dates.   

Reminder for Grade 7 to 9 Students - Make Responsible Choices When Off-campus 

Our Grade 7, 8 and 9 students are reminded to make safe and responsible decisions when off-campus during the lunch break. With the spring weather, more junior students are choosing to access the privilege to leave campus during lunch break. Students should be safe and responsible when doing so. 

Respect Our Neighbourhood

Students are reminded to walk on the sidewalks and refrain from walking on and/or sitting on homeowner’s grass & gardens. Sitting on the public sidewalks blocks the walkway; students should use the tables, benches and other seating areas on school property while sitting to eat lunch. Lastly, students should always take care that any garbage items are placed in a proper trash or recycling bin.  

We appreciate our parents’ and guardians’ support in speaking to their child(ren) with this issue.   

Student Pick-up Before PM Dismissal 

If your child(ren) require pick-up before the close of the school day, we kindly request they be picked up before 3:15 pm. 

When teachers are finishing up the day with students, it can be very disruptive to closing procedures and clean-up for the day, such as the art project clean-up, science lab materials put away, securing Chromebooks, and other routines that happen during the last 15 – 20 minutes of instructional time.  Our front office is also finishing up tasks for the day, often time sensitive tasks.  We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain optimal learning experiences and an efficient front office. 

Looking Ahead – Calendar of Events